Tag Archives: Hell

How much the New York Mets will spend on free agents this winter is undetermined, but what we can ascertain is it will not be enough to satisfy everybody. This much we know is general manager Sandy Alderson will not just throw money at a player to placate the grumbling fan base.

There’s an old saying if a baseball manager or general manager acted solely to please the fans in the stands he’ll soon be sitting with them, and Alderson will not act out of emotion.

“No fan is probably ever going to be satisfied with what his or her team is spending on players. It’s kind of too bad that the measure of commitment, the measure of loyalty to the fan base, is measured in dollar signs,’’ Alderson told ESPN today.

“That be as it may, we’re going to spend more money this year than we’ve spent in recent years, just in terms of what we have to spend. You know, last year we only spent about $5 million on free agents. So this is going to be a new day. We have it to spend. We have to spend it wisely. That’s what we’re trying to do.’’

We’ve heard that before from Alderson, which puts us in an “I’ll believe it when I see it,’’ position.

Alderson promised nothing this afternoon in his ESPN interview. Essentially, the said they’ll do more than last winter, which was basically Shaun Marcum.

We all want the Mets to not only compete, but win. Barring a miracle it won’t happen. You might point to the “Miracle Mets’’ of 1969, but remember that team had a core of a solid pitching staff highlighted by Hall of Famer Tom Seaver. Plus, it was a different game back then.

Even if the Mets were to start writing checks there’s no guarantee they’ll win. Look how much the Yankees have spent recently and look where it got them.

What has it gotten the Dodgers the past two years? The Nationals? The Tigers? The Phillies? The Angels?

Hell, even if the Mets do it traditionally right through their farm system there are no assurances. Hell, Matt Harvey’s elbow injury should have taught us that lesson.

However, gradual building, which the Mets tell us they are doing, does provide the Mets odds.

I believe the Mets will make some moves this winter, and the recent inactivity doesn’t mean they won’t do anything.

The Mets won 74 games last year, and if they get two innings eaters in the back end of their rotation, improve at shortstop, build depth in their bullpen and add an outfield bat – in that order – they should have a better team.

Those additions, while low key, along with a full season from David Wright, and improvement from Jon Niese and Zack Wheeler, the Mets should improve enough to win at least one more game a month, which would put them at .500.

The losing streak is now six and the Mets clearly are in a freefall now. You know things are getting desperate when the manager calls a meeting to try to pump up his team’s confidence.

The Mets need something to jumpstart their belief October is still possible, and I don’t think two ninth-inning homers is the alarm they are looking for.

No, the bullpen didn’t cost the Mets the game last night, although it did put it out of reach. The bullpen, far and away, is the tourniquet the Mets need most and they can’t wait the 12 days until the deadline. Hell, Frank Francisco won’t even be back by then.

The Mets need to do something now. Whether it be Huston Street or Jonathan Broxton, or Frankie Rodriguez or Grant Balfour, the need an immediate lift. The season could be lost in two weeks; it could already be lost.

GM Sandy Alderson failed miserably in patching up the bullpen during the winter, but he always said the Mets had the resources to make an addition if they were in the race. They’ve been in the race all season, so let’s see something.

The last thing I want to hear is come the deadline and Alderson intimating the team didn’t think it could win. If management doesn’t do it immediately it is sending that very message to the players and the fan base it teased in the first half.

Terry Collins said he didn’t go with Tim Byrdak in last night’s fateful seventh inning because he wanted to save him for later in the game. I suggested that earlier this morning, but I’m not buying that reasoning.

Oh, I understand it, but the game-on-the-line moment doesn’t always happen in the eighth or ninth innings. Sometimes, it is in the seventh. Had Byrdak been brought in and gotten Raul Ibanez, then maybe there’s not as issue later.

All games have turning points and key stats. Last night the bullpen headlined, but let’s not forget 1-for-14 with RISP. The Mets have been superb with two-out runs and lead the majors, but they didn’t have it last night.

Hell, one or two well-timed hits earlier and the bullpen never is brought into play.

Yes, the Mets were shut out, and yes, losing David Wright for the past two games helped exposed their offense, but that’s an oversimplification. Yesterday was about Mets’ hitters striking out 15 times – none by Wright – and their pitchers walking ten.

WRIGHT: Mets hope he'll be back to throw helmet.

Terry Collins was right. The Mets should have lost by more.

You can lament losing Wright all you want, but the real problem is through six games the Mets received precious little from Ike Davis, Lucas Duda and Jason Bay. Duda had those two homers, but outside of that there’s been nothing.

Nothing, of course, sums up what the Mets have received from Davis and Bay and unless that suddenly changes, their feel-good start will be history. Hell, it probably already is with the Mets heading into Philadelphia for the weekend.

When your ace, Johan Santana, who is coming off surgery has an ERA of 0.90 and has two no-decisions, that pretty much says it all.

One of the Mets’ many questions entering the season is whether Ruben Tejada will be able to replace Jose Reyes at shortstop.

TEJADA: It's his show now.

I’m not worried about the transition because frankly, few players are capable of replacing Reyes’ offensive production. Let’s assume right now he won’t post Reyes-like numbers. If Tejada can hit the .270 to .280 coach Chip Hale hopes for him, then I’ll be satisfied. I just don’t want Tejada to be overwhelmed or an easy out in the eighth spot in the order. If the latter is the case, the Mets would have almost certain back-to-back outs which would put a black hole in their line-up.

Tejada hit at times last season batting .284 with 36 RBI, but we’ll need to see how pitchers adjust now that they have a book on him. I’d sign up for another .284 right now.

Defensively, Tejada proved he could handle the position, so maybe that’s a wash. That’s also the most important part of his job.

The Mets have so many other issues to concern themselves with, that if shortstop is capably handled defensively, that’s a load off Terry Collins.

The Mets are a team in transition, not expected to contend. If things were different, they’d be worried about shortstop. Hell, if things were different, Reyes would be here.

For where this team is now, if Tejada can hold his own, that’s all you can ask.